Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on November 8, 1993, the Canadian Council of Catholic Bishops, appearing before the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People, made 11 commitments to the aboriginal people of Canada. The Catholic Church of Canada, through this proclamation, has apologized for previous excesses suffered at the hands of organized religion, such as the abuse of aboriginals in residential schools operated by the Catholic Church.
They have also expressed their regret that aboriginal people lost their right of free expression and celebration of their spiritual life, as a result of aboriginal contact with European culture. They have also said that the church will continue to support aboriginal desire for self-government in concrete and public ways. Also, Mr. Speaker, the church has committed itself to organizing local forums where healing and reconciliation can occur, to benefit those members of the aboriginal communities who have been abused in residential schools or other church-sponsored institutions.
Mr. Speaker, I applaud the commitments made by the Catholic Church to the aboriginal people of Canada. The Catholic Church now appears to be completely behind the aspirations of aboriginals everywhere in Canada. Mr. Speaker, there are several programs that must be offered to aboriginals, in order for us to realize our goals. We must be afforded adequate housing, in order to break the vicious cycle of overcrowding and poverty. We must, as a government, implement the recommendations of the Special Committee on Health and Social Services to make the programs offered by these agencies more accessible to all residents of the territories.
Mr. Speaker, programs such as a First Nations policing program must be looked at seriously by this government. We must give the Dene, Inuit and Metis people of the Northwest Territories the mechanism to pursue our rights to self-determination. Mr. Speaker, the Catholic Church has committed itself in this process of self-determination. We, as a government, must not just state our support for the principles of self-determination. We must act on this belief in a timely and equitable manner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.